I have this good/bad habit of eating fruit seeds. I always thought if I get those non-digestible bits inside my tummy, I would tend to consume less since I would feel full earlier than expected. Just frowned to learn that many if not most fruit seeds tend to be toxic. A few seeds aren't a bother but taking in more than what the "normal" fruit eater would consume means some danger.
According to the American Medical Association's (AMA) Handbook of Poisonous and Injurous Plants, eating large amounts of apple seeds (and other seeds) can be fatal. The culprit: cyanogenic glycoside or cyanide. Some fruits known for seeds that contain cyanide include apples, cherries, apricots, nectarines, peaches, and plums.
I usually enjoy my seed swallowing binge with the lanzones, watermelon, apple, and citrus fruits. Haven't found reliable information regarding the lanzones (the seeds in particular) toxicity but it's hard to overlook the AMA handbook's "and other seeds" line.
I haven't encountered the following symptoms yet...
- excessive sweating
- abdonminal pain
- vomiting
- lethargy
...so I'm quite sure I haven't accumulated enough poison inside my powerful gut yet. I have been warned, though.
